The present invention is directed toward a paint tray and more particularly, toward a vertical paint tray which may be held by a person as her/she is painting.
Today, many different types of paint trays exist for holding paint to be applied to surfaces such as walls and ceilings. The most common paint tray, as commonly known in the art, is constructed having a ramped front surface, the front end of the ramp being elevated and angled downwardly as the tray extends towards the rear end. This downwardly sloping ramp commonly meets a bottom or base plate anywhere from one-third to one-half of the distance to the rear end. The elevated front end is commonly supported by L-shaped legs, which are also used for clipping the paint tray to the top rail of a step ladder or the like. These common paint trays are designed to hold paint while sitting horizontally on the floor or being horizontally attached to a ladder.
These commonly used paint trays prove to be cumbersome and time-consuming while applying paint to small areas, woodwork/trim or edging out an area. The horizontal design of these paint trays does not provide the freedom of being carried around while painting. When moving the horizontally designed paint tray, the paint shifts from side to side making the weight distribution of paint within the paint tray uneven and difficult to maneuver. As a result, paint is typically spilled anytime the painter seeks to carry the paint tray containing paint for any reasonable distance. It is time-consuming to paint small areas with most paint trays because they are resting on the floor or attached to a ladder making them stationary to a particular place. Having to go back and forth to the paint tray is a waste of time and energy when applying more paint to the brush, roller or pad. Also, the back and forth travel from the paint tray to the area being painted allows for more dripping from the paint tools resulting in unnecessary cleanup and wasted paint. The aforementioned limitations make the common horizontal and stationary design for a paint tray impractical when a painter is painting a small area and is constantly mobile as in such tasks as painting trim, woodwork or edging.
Therefore, there is a need in the art of painting for a paint tray which eliminates the problems of transporting paint trays, while still providing the desired access to a ramp design that is efficient for loading a roller, brush or edging pad with paint and simultaneously enabling the painter to be free to travel about with the paint tray in hand while completing small painting tasks that require more mobility.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vertical paint tray which may be carried by a painter as he/she paints.
This invention relates to a paint tray for holding and applying paint to small areas, edging or woodwork/trim. In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a paint tray having a front wall, a rear wall, a left wall, a right wall, and a bottom wall forming a paint reservoir. The tray has a vertical structure with a handle for carrying the paint tray vertically in one""s hand while simultaneously applying paint to a surface with various painting tools. The first aspect of the paint tray is to provide a vertically extended ramp on the front of the paint tray, with a lip at the top. The ramp facilitates loading a small roller, brush or edging pad with paint while the ramp provides a place to roll off the excess paint or scrape off the excess paint on an edging pad or brush on the lip at the top of the ramp on the paint tray. Another aspect of the paint tray is the provision of a vertical embodiment with a handle on the rear wall. A painter can hold and carry the paint tray while accessing the paint reservoir with a small roller, brush or edging pad. The provision of a vertical embodiment with a handle on the rear wall enables a painter to remain in continuous motion, while simultaneously performing the act of painting to complete a paint job without the need to go back and forth to the horizontal style paint trays most commonly used.
A further aspect of the paint tray is that its unified vertical embodiment enables the paint tray to be mobile without the shifting of the paint""s weight and prevents the displacement of paint over the side walls of the paint tray.
Further and additional aspects of the paint tray, which shall become apparent as the detailed description proceeds, are achieved by a vertical paint tray construction providing a more stable well or paint reservoir because of its square like unitary vertical embodiment for holding paint as it is carried along while painting. The paint reservoir has four vertical walls with the front wall extending higher and more forward in a slightly inclined but very vertical position providing a ramp for a roller, edging pad or brush. The back wall and the rear of the left and right walls all join together and extend upward and forward over the center of the paint reservoir where they all extend forward to form a tool-holding tab, thereby completing the extension of the three walls. A notch formed in the tab is used for storing/holding a small roller, brush or edging pad while not in use thus preventing tools from sitting in the paint reservoir soaking up unnecessary paint which then makes the painting tools messy and often unusable. The tool-holding tab holds the tools over the center of the paint reservoir and allows the paint tools to drip directly into the paint reservoir, preventing paint waste and unnecessary cleanup. The top of the handle has a hanging hook located at the center of gravity for hanging the paint tray on a ladder. The hook gives the painter options for function as a stationary or mobile paint tray. The hook also provides the painter with a quick means to free up his/her hands while still on the ladder. The hook may also be used as a means of keeping the paint tray off the floor where it is easily tripped over. The hook extends above the tool-holding tab. The handle attached to the back outer wall is for carrying as well as holding the paint tray securely while rolling the roller or pushing painting tools against the ramp.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.